Malaysian Public Institutions Research Articles

Work Motivational Factors Affecting Job Performance among government Servant

Given the increasing job performance among employees, the purpose of this study is to investigate the motivating factor that leads to job performance among employees in the public sector at Putrajaya. The questionnaire was distributed to 200 employees at the headquarters of Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) using convenience sampling. Analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistic 26 to investigate the relationship between motivation variables that can influence employee job performance. The results revealed that workplace design and job performance have a significant correlation while the reward element does not show a significant relationship with job performance. As a result, Malaysian public institutions in Malaysia can use the data acquired and the conclusion drawn to improve work performance among their employees. In addition, this study can enrich the existing literature and provide additional information for future research. Aside from that, this research can directly assist an organization in designing a better plan for establishing a better program or activities for their employees.

Revalidating a Writing Strategy Scale for Undergraduate Students: A Fuzzy Delphi Approach

The purpose of this study is to get expert consensus and comments on the Writing Strategy Scale for undergraduate students. The general consensus is that students who write in a language other than their mother tongue frequently struggle with coherence, consistency, syntax, and word choice. The Fuzzy Delphi approach is used in this study to collect information from 5 experts from Malaysian public institutions utilising a 7-expert scale. Experts are people who have put in the effort to earn their credentials, training, experience, professional membership, and peer recognition. The questionnaire consists of 29 items on the writing strategies used by undergraduate students. For data analysis, Fuzzy Delphi approach Logic Software (FUDELO) was employed. A triangular fuzzy number and a rating of the defuzzification procedure for each construct element were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study and expert consensus indicate that the Agreement's Value is adequate. This confirms that the Writing Strategy Scale items for undergraduate students were highly regarded by experts. The components that the experts agreed on in consensus are organized in order of importance. Thus, researchers were able to offer a fundamental framework for adopting writing strategies for learners in general and undergraduates specifically.

Factors Influencing Students’ Understanding of Basic Statistical Concepts

This study focused on modelling the influence of teaching practices, students’ attitudes towards statistics, learning practices and perceived ability on students’ understanding in basic statistical concepts using Structural Equation Modelling. A total of 416 students from four Malaysian public tertiary institutions made up the sample for this study. The results showed that students’ perceived ability in statistics has a strong influence on students’ understanding of basic statistical concepts (measured by performance) and students’ attitudes toward statistics. Teaching practices also significantly affect students’ learning practices. This study found that learning practices and teaching practices do not affect students’ attitudes toward statistics and do not lead to an increase in students’ understanding of basic statistical concepts as measured through their test performance.

A systematic review for a highly accessible green roof for Malaysian public institution buildings

PurposeDespite its worldwide reputation as an effective solution to sustainable building development and energy efficiency, green roofs in Malaysian cities are rarely accessible. The architecture of the building primarily influences public accessibility, crime watch and safety level and events that encourage the public's engagement, which is evident in crowd density. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the social potential of highly accessible Malaysian green roofs as public space, initiated by the lack of local published material discussing on this topic.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews the current issues concerning limited public accessibility on Malaysian public institution green roofs by systematic literature review and thematic analysis by comparing the effectiveness of applicable public space strategies on the green roof.FindingsThe criteria that have been identified and considered as study parameters include architecture, safety and surveillance, and active functions. Through systematic review of available literature, these characteristics contribute positively to public participation within the public realm.Social implicationsThe exploration of the social potential would establish a green roof as a thriving public space that welcomes the public from all ages and backgrounds, addressing the general public accessibility towards outdoor recreational areas, especially within dense urbanisation with diminishing green spaces.Originality/valueThis research highlights the key characteristics of the highly functional public space that could be applied in developing a guideline for designing future green roofs with high accessibility potential for the public in the city area, in parallel with the anticipated future growth in demand for green roofs infrastructure surrounding public buildings.

Restructuring education activities for full online learning: findings from a qualitative study with Malaysian nursing students during Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and Movement Control Order have restricted learning activities from traditional face-to-face classrooms attendance shifted to full online learning in the student’s environment. The present study is aimed to explore pertaining issues on full online learning among nursing students and offer a contingency solution. Nursing students from one Malaysian public institution were recruited. The sessions were conducted online via teleconference and were recorded. The data were analysed using thematic analysis with the assistance of QDA Miner Lite software. Twenty-one students participated, resulting in four focus group discussions and three in-depth interviews. Three themes with a total of ten sub-themes were generated: (i) Full online learning has ramifications on life (it is about life; blurred division on education life and personal life; non-conducive environment for learning; health and well-being; human is an adaptable being while the transition takes time), (ii) full online learning is a medium of teaching and learning delivery but with several concerns (the boon and bane of fully online learning; challenges associated with full online learning; coping strategy in handling full online learning), and (iii) Foundation in teaching and learning is the key (role of the educator; teaching and learning approaches; motivation and regulation). A model of practice for full online learning was developed, consisting of some modifications to create a conducive and healthy learning environment. This study embarks on a more structured and standard online learning practice for making the Internet of Things and Industrial Revolution 4.0 concept a contemporary and mainstream education practice.

Determination Of Knowledge Management In Malaysian Public Universities

Knowledge management is the functions involved in the management of data, information, and knowledge in the form of expertise and experience gained from information created, transferred, or stored in the heads of individuals or documented in written form in organisational standards, procedures, or systems. Knowledge management is a difficult but vital job for educational institutions. In contrast, thorough research in public universities is severely circumscribed. This study evaluated the essence of knowledge management through the lenses of leadership, organisational culture, and information management. This article will analyse how top administrators at Malaysian public institutions manage knowledge and identify the regulatory framework for knowledge management at Malaysia's public universities. In addition, the future of senior administrators in Malaysian public institutions is contingent upon leadership, culture, and technology to control knowledge management. Face-to-face interviews with top management leaders and university senate members from around Malaysia were used to collect qualitative data, which was then analyzed using ATLAS.Ti. Leadership, organizational culture, and information technology were found to play a key role in knowledge management. Thus, the finding underscored the significance of knowledge management for improved quality and efficiency in university practise

Implications of Working While Studying on Work Commitment and Academic Achievement Among Special Education Teachers

Working while learning has become a trend for certain people in the age of globalization. The purpose of this study was to see how working while studying affects work commitment and academic accomplishment among special education teachers. This research employs a quantitative method in the form of a questionnaire. A total of 40 Special Education teachers who are currently enrolled in a Malaysian public institution were chosen at random. The Google Forms tool is used to distribute questionnaire forms. The responders are communicated with using the WhatsApp and Telegram applications. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 was used to examine the study's findings. According to the study's findings, most teachers have a moderate level of work commitment, as well as a moderate level of academic achievement. Having two commitments at the same time leads the ability of the individual to manage time wisely. The findings of the study can help school leaders comprehend the challenges that instructors face. Furthermore, time is crucial in producing high-quality work and achieving academic success.

Construction Quantification Achievement: The Effect of Individual Cognitive Ability and Demographic Differences

In responding to the construction quantification learning effect and academic achievements of the quantity surveying learners, the study examines the effects of several potential characteristics concerning specific individual differences such as cognitive abilities and demographics. Specifically, the study aims to compare the effects of individual differences in cognitive thinking, such as low or high spatial visualisation abilities and the demographics of learners (gender and age), towards the construction quantification achievement. The target respondent would be the quantity surveying learners (potential semi-professional graduates) in Malaysian public institutions. This preliminary study used a quantitative approach to determine the critical factors and indicators that lead to learners’ moderate performance in the construction quantification course. A significant relationship between spatial visualisation ability (SVA) and the construction quantification achievement concludes that spatial intelligence serves as a framework to support people facing difficulties interpreting 2-dimensional (2D) graphics representation. Seemingly, SVA is crucial to be possessed by the potential learners who wish to enrol in the quantity surveying programme. To successfully function and become more independent construction quantification learners in quantity surveying technical disciplines programme, these people need to have more spatial ability. However, there are no significant differences between different gender and age learners categories in spatial visualisation ability test (SVAT) scores and the construction quantification test (CQT) scores as the findings were insignificant. The result obtained in this study hoped to clarify the importance of cognitive ability and demographic differences to the construction quantification achievement.

The Effect of Satisfaction on Trust, Social Identification and Loyalty Amongst International Students in Malaysian Public Universities

This study was conducted to examine the effects of student’s satisfaction on student’s trust, social identification, and loyalty amongst international students in Malaysian public higher institutions. It was conducted due to low research outputs on these variables among international students in Malaysia. A theoretical literature review was conducted, and an adapted survey of Student Loyalty Model was used to collect the data from four public universities in Malaysia, while regression analysis was performed to check for the effect of satisfaction on other variables. The findings showed that student’s trust, social identification, and loyalty can predict student’s satisfaction. International student satisfaction has a strong effect on trust (B=0.401), but a weak effect on social identification (B=0.220) and loyalty (B=0.131). The results indicated that the gaps in international students’ satisfaction can be minimized by improving the aspects of student loyalty and identification with the university through campus engagement and non-academic programs. The study also recommended carrying out further research within a larger population of students in public and private universities to compare their perceptions and to benefit from the experiences and successes of other international education destinations.

Consequences and Adaptations in Medical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Medical Students’ Perspective in a Malaysian Public Institution

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become one of the most disastrous health crises 
 of the present world.
 The COVID-19 pandemic imposes unprecedented challenges for medical education globally. We describe how the pandemic has disrupted the medical education landscape from the students' perspectives and how medical students from a public higher institution adapted to the changes made to comply with the various government agencies' guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19 while fulfilling the course requirements. The utilisation of numerous innovative online applications enabled the students to participate in numerous teaching and learning activities (TLA) with more flexible scheduling of the classes, participated in a series of online case-based discussions, clinical practice guideline (CPG) discussions, case presentations and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) simulations. Students also joined TLAs conducted by other institutions both locally and abroad. In addition, students had collaborated among themselves and students from other institutions to conduct online peer-teaching activities. Perhaps, the main challenges for online classes were being unable to perform medical procedures and technical issues, commonly the poor internet connectivity. In regard to physical examinations, students performed it on members of their household instead of real patients. Learning medicine from a distance also gave us an opportunity to 
 taste telemedicine which may be the future of medical practice. Students and academics should be adaptive, resourceful and resilient in facing these changes together. The institution needs to look at all stakeholders' perspectives to respond to the changes in the medical education landscape.

RELEVANSI PEMBANGUNAN KENDIRI DALAM PEMANTAPAN KERJAYA AHLI AKADEMIK EKSPATRIAT DI UNIVERSITI AWAM MALAYSIA

The presence of international staff or independent expatriate academicians in the cross border higher education world today is indeed a global issue that brings benefits to the development of higher education worldwide. The decision taken by independent expatriate academicians to come to the host country to pursue a career as an academician will certainly have useful implications on the career they are pursuing. Through in-depth interviews based on a qualitative approach adopted on thirty (30) selected voluntarily respondents in three public universities, the objective of this study was to find out the implications on self-development of careers as independent expatriate academicians serving in the host country. From the findings received as a result of the interviews conducted, the implications for self-development in terms of the career which could be seen were (I) Promotion (II) Lucrative income (III) Security in Malaysia and (IV) Harmony in the workplace. From each finding stated by the respondents involved, it had been proven that the decision was taken by independent expatriate academicians to the host country in pursuing a career as an academician had given the positive implication that indirectly brought benefits to themselves. The implications for self-development on a career as an independent expatriate academician were also able to lead to the retention of human resources of independent expatriate academicians which can reduce the turnover rate in an organisation such as academics in Malaysian Public Institutions of Higher Learning.

The Influences of Job Satisfaction and Performance on Employees Followership Styles: A Survey in the Malaysian Health Institution

The present study examined the influences of job satisfaction and job performance on followership style among employees from one of the public health institution in the Northern Malaysia. This study utilized the questionnaire method. A total of 210 respondents including the administrative staff, medical officer and nurses participated in this study. The findings presented that employees in this institution have moderately high levels of followership style (mean=3.67), job satisfaction (mean=3.67) and job performance (mean=3.37). Results presented that job satisfaction is significantly related to followership style (β=.72, p=.00); and job performance is not significantly related to followership style (β=-.11, p=.12). Thus, it is found that only job satisfaction has a significant influence on followership style among employees in this institution. This study contributed some fruitful knowledge which can be suggested to all of the Malaysian public health institution, particularly to improve the level of followership style. Implications of the results are discussed; and limitations of this study are briefly highlighted.

Stressor factors, internal communication and commitment to change among administrative staff in Malaysian public higher-education institutions

PurposeThe objective of this study is twofold. First, it examines the relationship between stressor factors (i.e. role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict and organizational constraints) and commitment to change. Second, it investigates the moderating effect of internal communication in the hypothesized link.Design/methodology/approachA total of 225 administrative staff in the public higher education institutions located in the Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia participated in the study. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsRole overload, role ambiguity and organizational constraints pose a substantial influence on commitment to change. Internal communication is a significant moderator in the association between role ambiguity and commitment to change.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the Social Exchange Theory by assessing stressor factors as the predictors of commitment to change. Future studies can further extend the model by examining other variables related to stressor factors and extending the nomological networks of these factors in relation to commitment to organizational change.Practical implicationsThis study makes explicit the need for management in public higher education institutions to consider stressor factors, particularly role overload, role ambiguity and organizational constraints, which affect the commitment to change. Furthermore, the aspect of internal communication in public higher education institutions deserves further attention by the management in alleviating role ambiguity and boosting commitment to change among the administrative staff.Originality/valueThe study is one of the pioneers to demonstrate that the presence of internal communication as a moderating factor in assessing the influence of stressors on commitment to change among administrative staff in public higher education institutions. Further, little empirical evidence on commitment to change in terms of normative, affective, and continuance in the setting of Malaysian public higher education institution is available in the literature.

Balance Scorecard Implementation Challenges in Institution of Higher Learning: Overview of Prior Studies

The incessant decline in the performance of Malaysian public institution of higher learning since 2007 to date has brought to fore the question of its performance management process. Studies have shown that performance management is a general phenomenon in the institution of higher learning worldwide. The implementation issues of Balance scorecard (BSC) is more pronounced in the non-profit outfit and governmental organizations (NPGOs) compared to the profit-oriented outfit. Reasons being that the BSC was originally developed and (or) meant for the profit-oriented outfit and not exactly the other way round. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the issues of performance management in the institution of higher learning and specifically regarding the implementation issues of BSC encountered among Malaysia public institution of higher learning. This study provides a review of previous literature on the BSC implementation issues. Several implementation issues identified from the literatures are strategy misalignment, strategy communication issues, manager’s acceptance/employees buy-in, the issue of clarity of vision, mission, strategy, and outcome, and strategy map implementation issues. Findings revealed that the implementation issues of the BSC among Malaysia public institution actually helps to unravel the pitfalls of BSC project and provides a roadmap show that can improve and sustain effective performance management. The implication of this study is aimed at providing the means by which the Malaysian public institution of higher learning can identify the issues inherent in BSC implementation or strategy implementation and the way forward.

Organizational Factors Influencing the Adoption of EBL Practices

Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) refers to librarian approach to encourage and practice evidence-based activities in library, employs the best available evidence in decision making. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between organizational factors with EBL adoption in Malaysian academic libraries from academic librarian perspective. The paper utilizes quantitative methodology and use survey form as the instrument; 234 survey forms were distributed to all Malaysian Public Institution of Higher Education. Finding of the study highlight that the organizational factor is significantly predicted EBL adoption of academic libraries in Malaysia and the results demonstrated that organizational factor was found to be a significant of EBL adoption. The paper employs statistical method to administrate the relationship between organizational factor and evidence based librarianship. It only covers Malaysian academic librarian from public university, however, and as such the outcomes are merely represents only to this group. This paper portrays librarian standpoint in regards the connection between organizational factor with evidence based librarianship and it may benefits to evidence based practitioners and library community, or other researcher with interest in the subject matter.

VIABLE DIAGNOSIS OF ICT POLICY MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy is a code that clarifies the duties, responsibilities and rights of technology stakeholders and specifies acceptable and efficient ICT utilization. ICT policy is very fluid and rooted in a fast changing technology generating new issues and requirements. The study of ICT policy requires the organization to continuously adapt without having to make dramatic structural changes and with keeping long term focus. ICT policy life cycle encompasses four main processes which are: development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In many cases, the processes that form the life cycle of ICT policy usually stopped or failed at starting phase(s), including the case study in this research. Failures in ICT policy management may compromise ICT security, control and strategy in addition to incurring unnecessary expense. This study explored the challenges and issues in managing ICT policy in one of the Malaysian Public Institutions of Higher Education. An in-depth analysis and elaboration is performed using Viable System Model (VSM) and Hermeneutics method to diagnose and identify weaknesses, mismatches and viable requirements. The case documented here underlines the vast potential of the VSM in ICT policy analysis due to its flexibility and robustness that are a prerequisite in fast-changing environments. The evidence documented here represents the power of VSM through the application of its systemic functions and organizational structure that accommodates environmental dynamism, encourages sustainable development and provides sound theoretical platform. The paper demonstrates practical application of the VSM in diagnosing the organization that contribute towards the maturation of the field.

Energy Efficiency in a New University Campus: Preliminary Findings

One of Malaysia’s national energy policy’s objectives is to promote efficient utilization of energy and the elimination of wasteful and non-productive patterns of energy consumption. The government wishes to intensify energy efficiency (EE) initiatives in a broad range of areas, including in government buildings. University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), a Malaysian public institution of higher learning, has been chosen for an action research in the implementation of an energy efficiency program, in line with the government’s aspiration. This highly populated organization was an ideal selection for an energy consumption and silent waste research. Research objective was to identify areas of possible energy waste within the Campus. To achieve the objective, 2 projects were selected: one was to reduce energy use of chillers and the other was to find if there is any wastage with wrong setting of luminous flux in specific areas. For the first project, the staging method was adopted, where chillers will be loaded with 15 minutes intervals and for the second, luminous flux was set according to government body’s requirement to attain energy saving as initial stage findings showed that luminous flux setting was more than what is required. The results from just these 2 projects demonstrated, that UniMAP was able to save approximately 53,000 kWh of electricity within the research duration. From the preliminary results, it is apparent that more energy wastage analysis within the campus should be carried out in order to maximize potential savings that can be achieved in the future.

Internal factors Affecting Academic Performance among Pharmacy Students in Malaysian Public Institutions of Higher Learning

Introduction: Several factors have been found to affect university students from achieving and maintaining good academic performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the internal factors that affect pharmacy students’ academic performance and to determine whether these factors have significant effect on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and year of study. Method: A questionnaire consisted of 47 items was used as the survey instrument in this study. A total of 1,018 pharmacy students from five Malaysian public institutions of higher learning participated in this study. Result: The result of the study showed that students’ academic performance (CGPA) was significantly associated (p<0.05) with academic competency, test competency, time management skills, neuroticism and test anxiety. Academic competence, test competence, time management skills and test anxiety significantly (p<0.05) affect students with different ranks of CGPA. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in conscientiousness level among second, third and fourth years’ pharmacy students. Post hoc analysis indicated that significant difference was noted in the conscientiousness level between the second year students compared to fourth year students. In conclusion, academic competence, test competence, time management skills and test anxiety were important factors that were associated with students’ academic performance.

Learning Organization and its Effect On Organizational Performance and Organizational Innovativeness: A Proposed Framework for Malaysian Public Institutions of Higher Education

The survival of today's public institutions of higher education (PIHE) depends on how these institutions accept changes, improve practices and competitiveness. Defined as an organization that facilitates learning of all its members, learning organization possesses certain characteristics to meet the ever-changing needs of the environment. With Malaysian PIHEs being major contributors in providing educational opportunities for students in the country, it is equally vital for PIHEs to adapt the learning orientation. Accordingly, this paper proposes that learning organization culture have direct effects on organizational performance and organizational innovativeness, potentially leading to long-term organizational success.

Accent Attitudes: Reactions to English as a Lingua Franca

The emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English as an International Language (EIL) has implored us to re-examine the relevance and necessity of the ideology of the native speaker as a model in English language teaching. ELF celebrates the diversity of the various varieties of Englishes that are used in non-native as well as native speaker environments. One obvious manifestation of the diversity of English spoken in the various parts of the world is the accent that is often ascribed to the various diverse speakers of English, wherever it is spoken and used. Generally, the aim of this paper is to examine how non-native speakers (NNS) of English view NNS accents in relation to NS accents. Specifically, the study will discuss the findings of a study that explored the attitudes and beliefs regarding ELF accents in relation to NS accents. The data for this study was collected using a questionnaire adapted from Jenkins (2007). The respondents were a group of trainee teachers of English in a Malaysian public institution of higher learning. The findings show that the respondents perceived the NS accents as being better and described them in more positive categories than the non NNS accents. The NS accents are preferred by the respondents. The findings here reveal biasness towards NS accents as being more correct and proper as opposed to NNS accents. Although there is a shift in the number of users and uses of English in recent times, these teachers still think and believe that ‘proper’ English remains the preserve of inner circle countries.